Patient & Researcher Blog

Here I aim to capture what I am learning as a newbie researcher from a patient perspective.

Living with a slow growing brain cancer

It is taboo for researchers to talk about their work before it is published.

I think that’s a bummer.

 

My favorite part about research is learning new things in real time. Here I share my observations as a learner and my n of 1 (personal) findings as a patient.

Note: I started blogging about brain cancer in 2008, at age 29.

I had no background or knowledge about healthcare when I began. Please excuse typos and other misconceptions. What you read here is me in real time, like a time capsule.

There are more than 500 posts here. Use this search to look for something specific. Good luck!

Surviving, Movement Liz Salmi Surviving, Movement Liz Salmi

Expressing survivorship as an athlete

This experience, where I learned to love something I never knew I would be interested in and be good at it, has made me realize that there are millions of things in the world that I have never thought about… and I might love and be good at. I am so lucky to be alive and have the time and curiosity to search for these things and find my purpose in this world.

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Surviving, Most Popular Liz Salmi Surviving, Most Popular Liz Salmi

This is not a death sentence

To those of you diagnosed with a brain tumor–malignant or otherwise–for the love of god (or whatever you believe in), don't tell yourself the diagnosis is a death sentence. Be as negative as you want. Dread the biopsy. Freak out about the brain surgery. Get sick of chemo. But don't tell yourself this is death sentence.

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Surviving, Advocacy Liz Salmi Surviving, Advocacy Liz Salmi

Lobbying with my emotions: brain tumor advocacy is conjuring up all kinds of dirt

I have no idea if my father is 'proud' of me, but in my mind he has no right to be proud. Because nothing of who I am reflects on him, his skills as a parent or of who he is as a person. Pride is feeling good about something you did. He never did anything, and he certainly never reached out during my entire cancer process. I never got flowers. I never got a card. He didn't come to my wedding.

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